each year and collaborates through the programs with between 60 and 90 nonprofit cultural organizations each year. we host weekly figure drawing sessions every saturday morning. there is an accurate dojo with classes they nights a week and people can drop in. we have a free drop-in print maki making class. and print making workshops for adults a want to learn the craft. we have an open studio. >> how do you see it as distinguishing itself as a unique place and organization? >> i was just reading an interview with elizabeth streb and she was talking about her vision for the spaces of the future being rather than being warehouse spaces, being a space where all kinds of participation on all levels is possible. i think this is already that

space where artists at all levels of experience can be innovators, risk takers, learn about other cultures, find something unexpected and we are a true alternative space in that we are welcoming to everyone. >> sfgtv, we are ready to begin.

>> good morning today is wednesday, october 19, 2011. this is a regular meeting of the building inspection commission. at this time, i would like to remind everyone to please turn off all electronic devices the first item on the agenda is roll-call. president hechanova, commissioner clinch, commissioner murphy, commissioner walker. commissioner lee is expected.

supervisor mar and oak commissioner romero excused. the next thing on the agenda is president's announcement hackettstown -- announcements. >> good morning. welcome to our october meeting. first, i would like to really encourage everyone, given that the lawn of prieta earthquake took place almost three decades ago comments and the category of we need to do more, and we need to do it now, and i am looking forward to some strong support of the community, but also with the city. i would also like to just bring attention to those that have really continued to provide the level of service to the community in the category of

where letters of appreciation have come out, especially from patricia evans, who was recognizing duane ferrell as part of this better service to the community, and also for michael gunnell, who was named in an article in the biscayne times, an article that really lauded san francisco's building department. it was an article from october of this year. it is really good reading. and that is it. thank you. >> ok, item number three, update on earthquake safety implementation program -- sorry, is there public comment

on the president's announcements? seeing nine, item number three. the earthquake safety implementation program/capss. >> good morning, commissioners. director sweeney, thank you for the invitation to come back. in conjunction with the 20th -- the 22nd anniversary of the loma prieta earthquake, there was a press release announcing the availability of the draft plan bank. i know when i was here last, i let you know about the version of the plan that was then current. this is now supposedly available on the city administrators website. so we are continuing to get the word out on this plan, and it does, as pointed out last time, include the timeline that lists the 50 different projects and programs that we hope to accomplish over the next 30 years. this is now in the public realm.

we are continuing to actively talked to various groups about this, to build support. we have had further meetings and discussions with representatives of the harvard kennedy school, with the tenants' group, with the apartment owners group, so we are continuing to get the word out. i think taking the step of releasing it publicly, having it on the website is a great next step, to just continue to educate and build support for these proposed programs. we're very excited to see that come out. i am excited to continue having those discussions. i am also working with the disaster council, with staff to get the schedule for the upcoming disaster meeting, to do a presentation for those folks. i have not yet started engaging with chief hayes-white, but i would like to get it scheduled for the fire commission as well, and just give them a briefing as well. we are pressing forward. there are some slight changes to

this version, i think, from the version i talked about the last time i was here. mostly just some changes to the timeline. other than that, if you have specific questions about that, i will ask laurens to come out and help address that. but it is by and large, as discussed previously and as proposed. continuing to press ahead, and would be happy to come back at a further future date to give you further updates. commissioner walker: thank you for coming in and talking to us about this important project we have all been working on together. is there any update about potential funding? we have looked at the potential of miller brews coming together to support a bond for our next round of strengthening, especially the soft story wood

frame buildings. have you identified any improvement in that arena? >> there have been encouraging developments with respect to the melarus financing. they adopted a plan recently that would allow that type of financing for solar energy upgrades. we have gone back to our outside on the council to request an opinion from them, because the previously wanted this to stop, given the uncertainty with the federal government, fannie mae and freddie mac. so we have gone back and said if this other city or county can do this, can you please revisit whether we can do it, and we're thinking specifically for this program, although there may also be an advantage to take effort of it for solar. we are waiting, but we're hopeful that we will have good news. with respect to any future bond, i certainly think that has to be on the table for discussion for

financing possibilities. that is why it is so important to keep having these conversations, keep getting out there, talking to any interested groups, making sure that everyone understands how important this is. so if we get to a point where we do say, you know, this is an element of this program that we really have to seek approval for general obligation bonds to finance it, hopefully we will have that groundswell of support and understanding of the importance that will allow us to have a successful bond campaign, as opposed to what happened last year with prop a. commissioner walker: thank you for the work you're doing, and thank you to lawrence. >> thank you. thank you again for your continued support. >> since we ended this back to the city, it left the jurisdiction of dbi. can you tell us a little bit about what has happened since?

what kind of progress you have made since that time, 6, 8, 10 months ago? >> sure, the biggest progress is the drafting of this report. >> i have a copy of that. >> and the public release is the next step in that. and just putting together a 30- year project timeline that contains those 50 different projects. >> ok. i was not sure what commissioner walker's question was regarding the bonds. what is the bond for? all homeowners? >> it is for private property owners to ask the city to look at options to help them fund the programs that we have been looking at in order to make sure that the buildings here are safe. it is to help the private property owners seismically strengthen their homes in the form of loans that are hopefully

affordable for these folks. president hechanova: that is wishful thinking on my part. >> a great, glad you support it. >> i also wanted to let the commission know that jason elliott, who has really been very involved in all this and very supportive on the mayor's office behalf is here, if you want to hear a few words from him. thank you. >> jason elliott, mayor's legislative director. i have nothing past what the city administrator said other than that the mayor is fully supportive of the plan that you have an stands behind amy as she implements this. he is willing to dedicate his time and energy to this. thank you. >> i do have a question for mr. cornfield.

could you just share with us, one of the prime objective suspend the category of shelton place and some of the legislative wording that has -- that has come about to help bring about a category that has really provided an opening for that definition, through fema and other categories, that will allow for our ability to really respond to this impending disaster. >> i will say a couple words about shelter and place. one of the biggest concerns that we all have is that after an earthquake, we could have a lot of folks that either displaced into temporary shelters or buildings are damaged and they go to longer-term interim housing. how are we going to deal with sheltering needs? and through fema and other federal sponsorships, the city, through the city administrator's office and other agencies, is

working with spur to develop a shelter in place concept, which says that we're going to be trying to encourage people to stay as much as possible in their homes during the emergency and post-emergency time, so we can make the emergency plans and gain a neighborhood lovell of involvement and support. we realize that will require a commitment on the city's part to make up the difference of services that are not provided with an someone's home. so you may be in your home without sewer, water, he, or something, but you have a structurally safe place. you can have your goods and assets and be within your community. the city then has to make up some of the differences in the neighborhood community, like providing services for who knows what, mail pick up, the things that are not provided in the

shelter and place. maybe water, toilets, something like that. the whole concept of shelter and place is one that changes from let's find space in the parks and put up tents or whatever id is, emergency shelter and demands for a long time spans, to find ways to keep people in their homes, to set reasonable standards so we can deal with the tens of thousands of people who we think are going to be either displaced or feel like they should be displaced. so these are alternate emergency periods have the ability standards that will probably come before this commission at some poin hechanova: the strong concept here is also a neighbor-helping-neighbor with in the vicinity of each other's homes. >> that is right. this is very much a community- based concept. president hechanova: thank you very much. >> what i would like to see is

when the homeowners apply for permits, such as a bathroom at remodel or kitchen remodel, basically all remodels, that there should be demand on them at that time to do some simple tie downs, foundation bolts, that kind of thing. it should be mandatory. that is something we should look at. that would keep people in their houses. we did that whole thing a few years ago out in berkeley where you had that demonstration of shaking the building, and the first thing to go with the garage, soft story downstairs. maybe a little bit of steel across that opening alone would

do. and the back at the garage, some sheer wall there and just bolt them, tied them down. president hechanova: i am very pleased to hear you speak about that. it has been my impression, and sound like yours as well, that it does not cost a lot to make improvements to buildings. the first $200 goes a really long way in improving safety. >> i figure $5,000 to $10,000 extra. and you are seismically upgraded. and it does not have to go overboard. it does not have to become a huge engineering cost. it is is simple common sense. >> thank you. commissioner walker: i think those are the details that we actually have in that book.

and i know all of us have been very frustrated at how long this takes, for something you can do so much to avoid damage. but when you make it mandatory, you have to make sure the engineering is correct. as you know, we actually contracted with structural engineers of northern california to give us very specific details so we could put it through our code advisory board and get the right details so we're not misleading people with incorrect engineering. i think those parts are done and delivered to us. hopefully we can start rolling out mandatory fixes. >> [unintelligible] i have seen a lot of engineers in that room. as far as the small buildings are concerned, the single-family houses and two units are complicated. the homeowners can go out and get an engineer of their choice

and have them engineer it. we're not inventing the calculator. commissioner walker: i am not an engineer, but -- you know. >> i have also participated in some of the meetings that have taken place. and we're trying to, or at least the intent here is to simplify some of the details that could really be home-improvement categories that could help to expedite higher level of safety, especially in the shelter and place. that would help to bring about the home improvement category. and then also, one of the things that i think will be instrumental in all this implementation program is also part of what we're implementing right now, at the pts, the permit tracking system, which will also help to expedite some of the permitting as a result of some of the damage that would occur and helping to, one,

facilitate the permit the which is also a category. potentially mobile units could go out and helped the more distressed neighborhoods that could really help expedite some of the replacement, if not renovation, if not repair, and some of the earthquake damage that has come about. i think the trajectory of what this report has provided has really been a big, big jump from where we were at the beginning of the year and also from where the capss program handed it off to the city administrator. and she has been very, very strong and supportive of lawrence and the group that has really been understaffed and trying to bring this about, and it is something that is very, very important. thank you very much. >> is there any public comment

on item number three? seeing none, item number four -- president hechanova: there is somebody. >> this is for general public comment. we are on public comment. the bic will take public comment on matters within the commission's jurisdiction that are not part of this agenda. >> good morning, commissioners. thank you for the opportunity to speak. my name is sue zandt dumont, and it is wonderful. i want to talk about how wonderful it is that recreation and park is finally taking care of this historic landmark. recreation park is the boat house landlord, and they have neglected to of house for many years, blaming the tenants to the cat on a month-to-month lease for six years. since stage one of the capital

improvement has begun a broad house, several health, safety, and environmental issues have surfaced. i contacted mayor lee, who is responsible for the general manager of recreation and park, but he is not reply. i contacted dbi and dpw. dbi is refusing to take complaints and dismissed my call before i could talk to them about the lead bank -- lead bank -- the lead paint contamination and injuries on site. there are no files for any of the work being performed at the boathouse, which is strange. in 2011, there are 11 other golden gate projects in the dbi data base, along with a long history of permits for golden gate park. in the past few weeks, recreation and park, power washed, sanded, and great 68 years of lead paint job of the exterior of the boat house without using protection as

required by local and state ordinances. most homeowners who have painted their house know that this is an absolute must. many different people witnesses were going on with no safeguards against the lead it ships and particles. the boathouse was built in 1946 and was not banned for sale until the 1970's. so layers of lead paint on the boat house have been disturbed and washed into lakes in nearby lawns and walkways. i have included, on the last page of your package -- i do not know if the overhead can be put on. these are just some informal photograph the people live with their cell phone that was sent to me of paint chips in and around the beds at the lake. so you know there's a lot of other particulate matter ever else in the air. i can attest to the fact that the boathouse has never had any

lead paint mediation or abatement. i did research on the history of the boathouse when i nominated for landmark status last year other health safety issues have been that the newly installed unpermitted paving has changed the height of a walk with an steps so several people and children can trip and injure themselves. one gentleman had to be taken to the emergency room last friday and was kept overnight because of serious cuts and bruises to his ribs after falling on the steps. he is not the only person that has required medical care after falling in the past few weeks at the boathouse. the paving contractor free legal passerby's that he had no idea that there was a historic 100- year-old retaining wall and levy. [bells rings] i will try to go quickly. he was surprised to see the what we covered in water, seeping from the lake, after he hammered out the old pathway.

not knowing what else to do, again, he said he had no oversight from anybody from dbi. he just put in more concrete. on october 6, i contacted dbi with my concerns and was referred to the senior inspector. he left a voicemail the next afternoon, and i have a transcript of it. patrick -- i have made inquiries of several people and this is the san francisco recreation and parks, not dbi. this is ending with in the parks system. we have no jurisdiction over anything in golden gate park, the lake, are anything in -- anything like that. dpw would be involved. your primary point of contact would be san francisco rec and park. it is not a building inspection issue. the problem i have with his comments are that dbi has no jurisdiction.

it is not true. doesn't the building permits have been issued for golden gate park -- dozens of builtding permits have been issued for golden gate park. he may have a poor memory. on it 12-24--- >> i am sorry. we have to stop. the commissioners will review your package. >> i have questions about what needs to happen. elderly and children have been injured, and the lead paint is a serious environmental concern. i have one letter, but they're probably others coming to you from concerned citizens about all this work going on without permits. crazy. if you're not going to oversee the men and forced the coach, who will? thank you. president hechanova: thank you. >> good morning.

my name is nancy. i wish to thank everyone who responded to my public comment a year prior commission meeting where i inform you about a missing complaint on the tracking system. the complaint has been restored on my end, and i wish to acknowledge this correction. thank you. today, i wish to bring to you a much more serious complaint, that i am requesting the agenda for a hearing by this commission in the near future. you will recall the tragic failure at a construction project on third street in august, where four workers were seriously injured because of that incident, i reviewed the dbi procedures for special inspections, and written in administrative bulletin 046, issued january 1, 2011. as well as looking at a sample of dbi files and special inspection reports for projects currently under construction. from my initial analysis, i can say that some of the procedures and certification outlined in ab

046 are not being carried out as written in the san francisco building code regarding test samples are not been documented, nor is the requirement to have a structural observer submit a written statement to the building official regarding the frequency and extend up structural observations prior to the commencement of the observations, as required by section 1710 of the building code. also i found that the progress reports on special inspections are not being filed or submit it. and the only reports that i have found were final speed up the lack of timeliness of special inspection reports that feeds some of the monitoring activities that dbi intended to be done through ab 046. i found the 550 jersey street project approved with a permit issued in 2001 that expired with

no work done had special inspections, special certification, and special testing requirements to be done. however, the renewal permits issued in 2011 failed to require these inspections. therefore, the project is moving forward without any special inspections of were specified by the engineer on record in 2001. to be noted on the current building permit. therefore, there is not going to be any tracking system with this information, and none of these special inspections are going to be done. [bell rings] these are complex topics. this is why i ask that you schedule a hearing on the specific topic of special inspections and ab 046 compliance within the building department, by all staff. thank you for considering these comments. also, i would like to support what the prior speaker had said in regard to the importance of having this body be responsible

for enforcing the building code. it is only you that does it, not dpw. thank you. president hechanova: thank you. >> good morning, commissioners. my name is earl. i live at 4,803rd street. i have nothing for you to read. but i am happy to get you a copy of it. i am here to talk about 4801 third street. this has been a building that has been there about 30 years. the reason i am here today is that it is falling over. the entire building is collapsing on to the bus stop. the area that it is located in as a heavily -- buses are heavily used there. it is a stop for 24 divisadero. it is the t-line stopped. a major hub for its transportation to the building has been around for quite some time. i know that there is a political storm